Patriot GMC Hyundai Student of the Year 2017

NIGHT OF SCHOLARS AND CHAMPIONS: Hales picked Student of the Year

By Nathan Thompson | nthompson@examiner-enterprise.com

Posted May 12, 2017 at 10:57 AM

Bartlesville High School senior Abigail Hales was named the 2017 Examiner-Enterprise and Patriot GMC Hyundai Student of the Year Thursday night, and walked away with the keys to a 2017 Hyundai Elantra.

Hales was awarded the car, $2,000 in cash from the Examiner-Enterprise and $500 in gas from Phillips 66 during the inaugural Examiner-Enterprise Night of Scholars and Champions presented by Patriot GMC Hyundai banquet at the Hilton Garden Inn.

Despite the ominous weather outside, the ballroom of the hotel was filled to capacity to honor Hales and 50 other students during the event. She was one of 16 students from seven different high schools from across the area named as a student of the month.

After being presented the keys to the car, Hales said she was in total shock.

"It's a lot newer than a lot of other things I've ever driven, I was very surprised," Hales said. "I'm really grateful to Patriot and Tatton for being able to donate this and being able to get this."

Hales is a senior at Bartlesville High School, Throughout her gifted career as a high school student, she has been able to maintain a lofty 4.2222 weighted GPA and being named as a National Merit Scholar semifinalist. But that's not all that drives her.

Hales is extremely committed to the principles of her church, the Church of Christ of Latter-day Saints.

She served as a youth camp leader, the female youth group president and teaches lessons to young people and speaks humbly about her experiences.

"My four siblings and I were raised by my father after the death of my mother when I was very young," she said during an interview with the Examiner-Enterprise in February. "That's a big responsibility to have."

Hyundai Elantra delivery for Night of Scholars and Champions

As such, Hales took on the responsibility of driving her younger siblings to all of their extracurricular activities since she received her driver's license.

Now, she is about to do that in a brand new 2017 Hyundai Elantra from Patriot GMC Hyundai.

Tatton Manning, dealer at Patriot GMC Hyundai, said he and his employees were happy to participate in the program.

"When (E-E Publisher Matt Tranquill) and I dreamed this up almost a year ago, we didn't realize all the scope of how this would work," Manning said. "Without our team at Patriot and all of our customers who have embraced us in the community. We are grateful. We have been very impressed with the caliber of students."

The top semi-finalists in the Student of the Year program also walked away with scholarships from Phoenix Insurance.

The top three semi-finalists were Henry Williams from Bartlesville High School, Melody Brown-Clark from Bartlesville High School and Jacob Auer from Oklahoma Union High School. The received scholarship of $250, $500 and $1,000, respectively.

The Student Athletes of the Year were Winter Williams of Copan High School and A.J. Archambo of Bartlesville High School. They also received scholarships.

Former University of Oklahoma and National Football League stars Joe Washington and Greg Pruitt were the keynote speakers. Pruitt told the students they were the future of America, and urged them to follow their dreams.